Trasa tematyczna

​​100th Bombardment Group, Station 139, Thorpe Abbots​

Wielka Brytania

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Typ

Wędrówka

Distance

6.22 km

​​This themed route explores airfield Station 139 and the surrounding area where the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) 100th Bombardment Group was stationed during the Second World War. This airfield and group are depicted in the TV series ‘Masters of the Air’.

​​The route starts at the 100th Bombardment Group Memorial Museum. Here you can learn more on the infrastructure of the day-to-day operations that were conducted around Station 139. Guided tours are available to walk around locations of the airfield that are not accessible to the public.

The route takes in the quiet country lanes that were used during the Second World War to travel around the perimeter of the airfield. Along the route you will find parts of the original concrete hard standings, tracks and dispersals areas (where aircraft parked when not in use). Many parts of the infrastructure are located away from where the three runways once existed. These have now been returned to agricultural use and only a very small part of a runway remains.

Many of the surrounding copses of woodland were used to house and hide billets or buildings away from view. These are located to the southwest corner. To the western side of the airfield were the bomb stores. The Command Centre Battle HQ remains, a large concrete bunker that was used if the airfield was under attack.

The walking trail is on firm ground and mainly on a flat gradient. To the south of the airfield, a small gradient drops down and back up as you approach the southern end of where two of the runways were once positioned. 

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